"In spite of the unfavourable balance of forces – the 'Cosseria' and the 'Ravenna' faced eight to nine Russian divisions and an unknown number of tanks – the atmosphere among Italian staffs and troops was certainly not pessimistic.... The Italians, especially the officers of the 'Cosseria', had confidence in what they thought were well built defensive positions." (All or Nothing: The Axis and the Holocaust 1941–43, Jonathan Steinberg, p. ?, Routledge, 2003)

"Contrary to German efforts to paint the Italians as scapegoats, the Cosseria and Ravenna divisions put up unexpectedly tough resistance, forcing Valutin to commit three of his four tanks corps before he finally got his breakthrough. (Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942, Robert Forczyk, Pen and Sword, 2014)

16-19 December 1942

"From the Soviet bridgehead at Mamon, fifteen infantry divisions supported by no less than one hundred tanks attacked the Italian Infantry Division Cosseria and Ravenna and advanced against Sforzesca, too. Outnumbered 9 to 1, the Italians resisted for two days. (A Military History of Italy, Ciro Paoletti, p. 177, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008)

"During this phase, the Germans praised the steadfastness of Italian infantry, who held out tenaciously even in isolated strongpoints but eventually reached their breaking-point under this constant pressure. " (The Unknown Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht and Hitler's Foreign Soldiers, Rolf-Dieter Müller, p. 83-84, I.B.Tauris, 2014)

17 December 1942

"On 17 December, Kuznetsov committed General-Major Pavel P. Poluboiarov's 17th Tank Corps, General-Major Boris S. Bakharov's 18th Tank Corps and General-Major Petr R. Pavlov's 25th Tank Corps into an infantry support role and finally broke through the front of the Italian II Army Corps (Sforzesca', 'Ravenna', 'Cosseria' Inf Divs)." (Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942, Robert Forczyk, Pen and Sword, 2014)

"The attack at dawn failed to penetrate fully at first and developed into a grim struggle with Italian strongpoints, lasting for hours. The Ravenna Division was the first to be overrun. A gap emerged that was hard to close, and there was no holding back the Red Army when it deployed the mass of its tank forces the following day. German reinforcements came too late in the breakthrough battle." (The Unknown Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht and Hitler's Foreign Soldiers, Rolf-Dieter Müller, p. 84, I.B.Tauris, 2014)

20 December 1942

"On the Don river front German and Italian troops were said to be "still engaged against strong Soviet infantry and tank formations." ([ Ссылка ] Nazis Admit Heavy Blows In Russia, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 21 December 1942)

"The German 298th Division stopped taking orders from the Italian 35th Corps and began taking orders from the German staff of the Italian 29th Corps. The division retreated from its positions, and did not bother to inform General Francesco Zingales, the Italian commander of the 35th Corps." (The Regio Esercito: The Italian Royal Army in Mussolini's Wars, 1935-1943, Patrick Cloutier, pp. 156-157, Lulu Press, 2013)

"Germans efforts to cut themselves loose from the Italians and escape on their own, brought little success: abandoning joint defense eased the Russian task of encircling Axis forces. The German 298th Division and the German staff of the Italian 29th Corps Headquarters still ended up behind enemy lines with their Italian comrades-in-arms." (The Regio Esercito: The Italian Royal Army in Mussolini's Wars, 1935-1943, Patrick Cloutier, p. 157, Lulu Press, 2013)

Battle scenes from "Bitka na Neretvi "

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